Loose-leaf holder.



J. P. BOEHNER.

LOOSE LEAF HOLDER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 19,1913.

Patented May 26, 1914,

JACOB P. BOEHNER, 0F AURORA, ILLINOIS.

LOOSE-LEAF HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1914.

Application led May 19, 1913. Serial No. 768,511.

T0 all 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, JACOB I). BOEHNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Holders, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to loose-leaf holders and more particularly to such holders that are adapted to retain cards or loose-leaf sheets therein through the medium of a yieldable member serving` as the binding means.

The object of my invention is to construct an improved form of holding or binding means which is adapted to bear yieldably down upon the top of the end of a stack of loose sheets, whereby upon successive removal of sheets from the top of the stack said binding means will be successively moved to allow said sheets tobe removed and at the same time hold the remaining sheets from displacement and unmoved in their original stack; and further, of a novel construction of spring means and follower member whereby certain relative movements are obtained advantageous to facilitating said removal of sheets.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a perspective view of a loose-leaf holder such as is embodied in my invention. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal vertical section through the holder with its cover flaps closed. Fig. 3, is a transverse sectional view as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Figff, is an enlarged view of the binding end of the holder, showing a position of the spring and following plate during the removal of a sheet; the bulk of the stack being removed. Fig. 5, is a plan sectional view of the card retaining end of the holder.

The loose leaf holder illustrated in the drawings is of a conventional form of card holder comprising a main body strip 6 which is in its most suitable form of a leather construction, and which is formed with a top flap 7 and an end top flap 8 which is adapted to fold over said flap 7 and be attached thereto by a suitable clasp.

Adjacent the hinge end of flap 7 is suitably secured to the body strip 6, a card retaining end which is formed with a bottom 9, upturned ends 10, a back 11 and a top portion 12 adjacent the back 11. This top 12 extends from the back 11 only so far as to form a suitable inclosure comprising a top back and ends, (the ends being a portion of sides 10) the inclosure being open at its side opposite its back; and formed in the ends are outwardly extending raised portions 13 forming vertical guides for a following member. Into this retaining head a plurality of cards may be inserted, forming a stack.

A follower plate or member 14 is disposed within the above mentioned inclosure and upon the top sheet of the stack, this follower having stud extensions 15 located in guideways 13, the follower being movable vertically guided thereby, and having its longitudinal edges bent slightly upward and then upon themselves, thus forming rigid edges 16 and 17. An arched spring plate 18 is interposed between the top 12 and the follower 141 with its two ends bearing yieldingly down upon said follower to retain the cards from longitudinal displacement from the holder. The corners of the spring are beveled, these corners 19 ladjacent the rigid edge 1G being of a slight degree and substantially a 450 bevel, while the opposite corners 20 are beveled to a greater extent and a greater angle inclined longitudinally of the spring.

The several parts constituting the holding means are in their normal position shown in Fig. 2, the spring ends bearing yieldingly upon the central position of the follower. In removing a card, the action is to raise the loose end thereof and pull upwardly, this action raising the follower upon its edge 16 substantially as shown in Fig. 4C, to allow a yielding release of the card. During this movement several novel features areV resultant; such, because that with the ends of the spring beveled, a downward tension of the follower is enabled in which said tension is exerted at a point substantially at the pivot of the follower, and said follower is enabled to be raised freely to conform to the curvature of the card without much exertion, yet allowing the spring to exert its full tension in holding the cards in position. When inserting new cards the slight rise of edge 17 allows the follower to be easily raised and during the raising movement the cards may be inserted almost freely because of the pivotal movement of this edge of the follower, until they come directly under the point of depression of the spring, when of course an increased pressure needs be applied to raise the follower. It will be further noted that the cards contained in the holder, whether a few or a maximum number, are always held to the bottom of the holder, and that when removing cards they are removed from the top successively without affecting or changing the relation of the remaining stack of cards below.

I claim as my invention:

1. A retainer for loose leaf sheets comprising a retaining inclosure open at one side and adapted to receive the ends of the sheets through said open side, a follower member within said inclosure, movable vertically therein and adapted to rest upon the top of sheets located in the inclosure, the follower member having .its opposite edges which are parallel with said open side, raised from its portion in contact with the sheets, and a spring disposed abo-ve said follower and exerting a downward pressure upon the follower intermediate the said raised edges thereof.

2. A retainer for loose leaf sheets, having a sheet retaining body and binding means disposed above sheets carried in the body, said means adapted to yieldingly depress one top end of the sheets, and said means comprising a follower member adapted to contact a top sheet and being` concave in cross-section with the hollow side of the concave up, and a spring in contact with said upper side of the follower adapted to yieldingly depress the follower.

3. A retainer for loose-leaf sheets, having a sheet retaining body and binding means disposed above sheets carried in the body, said means adapted to yieldingly depress one end of the top of the sheets, and said means comprising a follower member adapted to Contact a top sheet, and an arched spring for yieldingly depressing the follower, the spring having its end portions in Contact with the follower and a corner of each end portion beveled at the sheet insertion side of the retainer.

4. A retainer for loose leaf sheets, comprising a. sheet retaining body adapted to retain a stack of sheets, a follower member disposed above an end portion of the sheets, the follower being movable vertically, guided positively from lateral displacement during its vertical movement and capable of a vertically pivotal movement from a portion thereof in contact with a sheet, and a spring yieldingly depressing the follower member at substantially the portion of the follower that is in Contact with the sheet when the follower is pivoted vertically.

In a sheet retaining device, the combination of a follower member adapted to contact the top of a sheet, said member having longitudinal edges inclined from the top of a sheet, guide means adjacent the ends of the follower to guide same vertically and a spring disposed longitudinally over the follower with its end portions in contact with the follower intermediate the inclined edges thereof, the corners of the end portions of the spring being beveled adjacent said inclined edges.

6. In a sheet retaining device, the combination of a follower member adapted to contact the top of a sheet, said member having longitudinal edges inclined from the top of a sheet, guide means adjacent the ends of the follower to gnide same vertically, and a spring disposed longitudinally over the follower with its end portions in contact with the follower intermediate the inclined edges thereof, the corners of the end portions of the spring being beveled adjacent said inclined edges, those corners which are adjacent the side of the follower at which sheets are inserted into the retainer being of a greater degree of bevel than the bevel of its opposite corners.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB l?. BOEHNER.

lVitnesses CARL I-I. Tnnnirrnn, JOSEPH NORTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, '.D. G. 

